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Need help mounting and wiring a battery charge indicator

Tom NWGA

Tom NWGA

Member
Member
Just purchased some heated gear and got a black Kuryakyn battery gauge to help with monitoring the battery.  Initial thought is to mount the unit on the left side fairing at the location of the clock on the right side of my 1999 Connie.  Two issues need to be addressed, though, and this is where your help is wanted.
1) I realized with my EXO2 controllers that the LED lighting will reflect back to me on the windshield.  While having this 'heads-up' display can have its benefits, I don't want too much distraction from my riding after dark.  So how bright are the battery gauge LEDs on the Kuryakyn unit, and will placing the unit in my originally intended location on the left fairing sufficiently shield the lights from the windshield?  If not, then where should I consider mounting the unit?
2) The lead wires for the unit are only 22" long. Is the headlight circuit the only (or most accessible) switched circuit to tap into at the front of the bike?  My GPS is currently tapped into the auxiliary leads, and from past experience, that circuit is always on.
What do you recommend?
 
Yup, the L side of the dash is poifect. I had a volt gauge that fed offa the aux leads underneath. That also fed my grips, outlets, & aux hedlite relay. And had a switch to turn the hole thang off.
 
Tom, I have my Kuryakin voltmeter mounted on the right side of the dash shelf with no problems. I'm not sure about any windshield reflections where you're talking about mounting it. You could just temporarily wire it up and tape it into position to check. Also, I extended the wires to go back to the battery. Well, my power panel anyway! The closer you get to the voltage source, the more accurate the reading. I'm not sure how much difference it will make taking the reading at the accessory leads, but those ARE always on. The only time they shut off is if the fuse blows or the battery dies! I just used some 14 ga wire I had and a couple of Posi-Lok in-line connectors to run back to the power panel.
HTH.

Eddie
 
Thanks.  I have the battery meter installed on left side above the storage pocket (see below) and the circuit tied into the left running light.  Did not want to run additional wires to the rear at this point, but will be open to changing my opinion.  With heated gear controller on high for gloves and jacket, and using high beam while cruising the neighborhood at slumber speeds, I still had a green light indicating sufficient charge.  Hooray!!  Also did not observe any reflection in the windshield coming from the battery meter.  Another hooray! Will do what I can to test the setup over the next several weeks and report back.

BatteryMeter.jpg
 
BTW, if you find the volt gauge too bright, a scrap of window tint works quite well to tone things down, especially at night. Still visible in the day time, just not as bright.  Mine is mounted a bit to the right and under the temp gauge.
 
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